Spring for vehicles



(No Model.)

' E. STURM.

SPRINGFOR VEHICLES.

No. 375,902. Patented Jan. 3. 1 8

u VV .e s

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDVARD STORM, OF FOUGHKEEPSIE, NEV YORK.

SPRING FOR VEHICLES.

BPECIFICATIQN 4forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,902, dated January3, 1888.

Applicaiion filed March 5, 1887. Serial No. 929,804. (o moflohl To @ZZwhom, it mayermcern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD STORM, of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, andthe State of New York, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovementin Springs for Vehicles, of which the following is aspecification.

I will describe a spring embodying my improvement and then point out itsnovel features in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a plan View ol' a springembodying my improvement. Fig. 2 isan edge view ofthe same. Fig. 3 is anedge view of the spring when looked at in the direction indicated by thearrow which is arranged adjacent to Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an inverted planView of the body of a Vehicle and springs embodying my improvementapplied thereto. Fig. 5 is a view similar to that represented by Fig. 4,except that in it the springs are shown as applied in a differentmanner.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all theiigures.

A designates springs embodying my im provement. Each of these springsconsists of s a portion,cc,which may be termed a hanger;77

a portion, @extending atan approximate right angle to said portion c; aportion, at, extending farther away from the hanger in the directionofthe length of the latter; a portion, (t3, extending back parallel orapproximately parallel with the portion ai, and a portion, ai, extendingat an angle to the portion a.3 and toward the hanger. As shown, all theparts of this spring are made in one integral piece. The material usedwill, of course, preferably be of steel. It is not essential that thehanger portion a should be made integral with the other parts, as itmay, if preferred, be made separately. and keyed or otherwise fastenedto the portion a2 of the spring.

While I have given but a general description of one spring embodying myimprovement, it is necessary for me to add to what I have already said,that these springs will not all be exactly alike. Some will be thereverse of others. To use a common expression, some will be rights andothers will be lefts. I mean by this that in some of the springs theportion a will extend to the rightfrom the portion a', whereas in othersprings the said portion a will extend to the left from the port-ion ci.The

reason for making some of these springs rightsand others lefts will beapparent upon a consideration of Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. 4 represents the application of a spring to a sidebar vehicle. Thehanger portions a ofthe springs are provided with eyes @which may bemade integral with them and which are connected pivotally to bolts b,secured to clips which are applied to the side bars of the vehicle. Ihave not deemed it necessary to show the side bars, as these devices aretoo Well known to require illustration.

The portion a3 of each spring passes through a bearing, b3, that issecured to a cross-sill of the vehiclebody by bolts or other suitablemeans. The portion ai of each spring is also secured to the cross sillby a bolt, b5, or other suitable device passing through itand the sill.

Each spring has what is termed a set in it. I mean by this that theportion a2 and portion c3 are offset one from the other, so that l theywill not be strictly in the same horizon tal plane. This may be bestunderstood by reference to Figs. 2 and 3.

It will be seen by reference to Fig. 3 that the oliset or delieetionoccurs at about the point Where the portion a3 joins the curved portiona4 of a spring. The object of the oftset is to enable the portion a3 tobear against the sill of a vehicle.` and yet in such manner that theportion at and the curved portion a* will not touch the bottom ofthevehicle. Thus the latter will be afforded room for movement when thespring yields.

It will be understood that my springs are combined tlexure and torsionsprings. Their ileXure may occur along the curved portion c",

or along the portion a2, or along both these portions. The torsionalaction will occuralong t-he portion a2. Y

My springs may be made of rectangular cross-section and, if desired, ofvarying thickness at different portions.

InVFig. 5 I have illustrated the method of applying springs embodying myimprovement to a different kind of a vehicle. The vehicle represented inthis figure has no side bars. The hangers of the springs extendlengthwise of the vehicle body. The hangers of the springs at the frontend of the vehiclebody are connected by bolts b to the front bolster orto an elliptic or semi-elliptic spring arranged ICO upon the backbolster. The hangers of the springs at the rear end of the vehicle-bodyare connected by bolts b to the hind axle or a bolster arranged thereon,or to elliptic or semielhptlo springs arranged on the same. My springswill be secured to this vehicle-body in the manner I have previouslydescribed in connection with Fig. 4.

Byiny improvement I am enabled to make a spring which is cheap, light,and effective, and withal one which may be applied by al most any one toany kind of vehicle.

I do not wish to be confined to the exact structure of the springs whichI have shown. If desirable, the portions a3 may extend beyond thelongitudinal line of the hangers, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig.

I would remark that it' a separately-made hanger is used With a springsuch hanger may be made in the form of a leafspring. I have shown one ofthe hangers thus made in Fig. 4 and marked am.

WhatIclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

L1A spring composed of, first, a hanger or portion constituting ahanger; second, a portion extending therefrom at an approximate rlghtangle; third, a portion extending farther away from the hanger or hangerportion in the direction of the length of the latter, and, fourth, aportion extending back parallel or approximately parallel with theportion that extends from the hanger or portion constituting a hanger atan approximate right angle toward the longitudinal line otI the hangeror portion constituting a hanger, substantially as specified.

2. A spring composed of, first, a hanger or portion constituting ahanger; second, a p0rtion extending therefrom atan approximate rightangle; third, a portion extending farther away from the hanger or hangerportion in the direction of the length of the latter; fourth, a portionextending back parallel or approximately parallel with the portion thatextends from the hanger or portion constituting a hanger at anapproximate right angle toward the longitudinal line ofthe hanger orportion constituting a hanger, and, fifth, a terminal portion extendingat an angle to the portion last named toward the hanger or portionoonstituting a hanger, substantially as specified.

EDWARD STORM. Witnesses:

EDWIN H. BROWN, D. H. DRIsCoLn

